Community donations aid county's plan for Perry Hall dog park

County to open park at Honeygo; residents raised $20,000 toward project

July 10, 2013|By Alison Knezevich, The Baltimore Sun

Baltimore County plans to fund a dog park in Perry Hall after residents pushed for the project and collected private donations for it.

County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said Wednesday the county plans to issue construction bids for the Perry Paw Dog Park at Honeygo Regional Park within the next four to six weeks.

"It is very impressive that the community demonstrated its support for the project by raising $20,000 in private funds to support construction," Kamenetz said in a statement. "I look forward to joining members of the community when we cut the ribbon for the park in the next few months."

County Councilman David Marks, who formed a task force in 2011 to explore the possibility of the park, called the announcement exciting for residents.

"I think dog lovers deserve a place to take their pets just like anybody else," said Marks, a Perry Hall Republican. "It's a nice amenity to have in our part of the county."

Officials will not know the total cost of the construction until bids come in, said Don Mohler, Kamenetz's chief of staff. The dog park committee will be part of the Perry Hall Recreation Council and will collect membership fees from people who use the park.

The dog park would be the county's fourth — the others are at Hannah More in Reisterstown, at Robert E. Lee Park near Towson and a third that will open soon at St. Helena in Dundalk.

Barb Waskiewicz, who chairs the Perry Paw Dog Park committee, said she was "thrilled" about the announcement.

"This is a great day for the Perry Hall community, and I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make this day a reality," she said in a statement.